Andy Slaughter Re-Elected MP for Hammersmith

Andy Slaughter

Labour's Andy Slaughter has been re-elected in Hammersmith, seeing off all his opponents and maintaining a large majority.

Despite the national shift towards the Conservatives, Andy Slaughter's share of the vote dipped only slightly. His chief challenger, the Conservative Xingang Wang, also lost votes.

The results of last night's count were as follows:
Andy Slaughter, Labour, 30,074
Xingang Wang, Conservative, 12,227
Jessie Venegas, Liberal Democrat, 6,947
James Keyse, The Brexit Party, 974
Alex Horn, Green, 1,744

Andy Slaughter - in His Own Words

Andy Slaughter - Labour candidate

We asked the three main candidates for Hammersmith - Andy Slaughter for Labour, Jessie Venegas for the Lib Dems and Xingang Wang for the Conservatives - to answer a few questions about why the people of Hammersmith should give them their vote tomorrow.

So far, only Andy Slaughter has replied.

Since 2010 Andy Slaughter has steadily increased his majority and won back his seat in 2017 with a big majority - of 18,651 votes, turning Hammersmith into something of a safe seat.  Below are the questions we asked Andy Slaughter - and his answers.

General Election: Hammersmith - Who Will Win?

Constituency of Hammersmith

The Parliamentary constituency of Hammersmith was formed in 1983 and has been held by Labour ever since.  In 2010 the Conservatives came close-ish to taking the seat off of sitting MP Andy Slaughter, but lost by 3,500 votes.

Since then Andy Slaughter has steadily increased his majority and won again in 2017 with a "thumping majority" of 18,651 votes.  Charlie Dewhirst, the Conservative candidate, won just 14,724 votes, or 28.1% of the total - a swing away from the Tories of 8.3%.  

So, is this election a done deal for Hammersmith, or can any other candidate reasonably hope to challenge Andy Slaughter for the top job?

Boundary Commission: Shepherds Bush To Join Willesden

Willesden and Shepherd's Bush

The Boundary Commission has made its decision and, assuming that Parliament votes in favour, the Parliamentary constituency of Hammersmith, born in 2010, is dead.

Long live the parliamentary constituency of Hammersmith and Fulham, abolished in 2010 and now to be re-incarnated.

What about Shepherd's Bush? It turns out we're to be hived off of the rest of the Borough and joined up with Willesden, in a new constituency named Willesden and Shepherd’s Bush.

The Candidates - Andy Slaughter

Andy Slaughter

Andy Slaughter has represented the London Borough of Hammersmith for Labour since 2010.  Prior to that he was MP for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush from 2005 to 2010 and - before that - Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

He is now fighting for re-election again, facing off against his Conservative rival, Charlie Dewhirst, who also ran against him in the 2015 election. We asked Andy a few questions about the major issues on which voters will cast their ballots.

Hammersmith - The Candidates

Hammersmith

Six candidates are to contest the Hammersmith constituency in the 8 June General Election.

The principal candidates are local councillor Charlie Dewhirst for the Conservatives and Andy Slaughter for Labour, making this contest something of a re-match of 2015, as these are the same two candidates that faced one another in the last General Election. They are also the only two with a serious chance of winning the seat.

The other candidates are Jack Bovill for UKIP, Jagdeosingh Hauzaree, an Independent,  Alex Horn for the Greens, and Joyce Onstad for the Liberal Democrats.

Save Shepherd's Bush Post Office?

The Worst Place on Earth?

Local MP Andy Slaughter is organising a public meeting to try to keep Shepherd's Bush Post Office (memorably described by Richard Herring as "the portal between earth and Hades") from moving to Westfield, "due to the high level of public opposition".

The meeting will be held on Friday, 9 December from 1:30-4:30pm at the Shepherds Bush Library, 6 Wood Lane W12 7BF.

All are welcome, and there is no need to RSVP. You can also make your views known by emailing comments@postoffice.co.uk, calling 03457 22 33 44 or texting 03457 22 33 55.

Boundary Review To Bring Electoral Change to Shepherd's Bush

Hammersmith Constituency

Boundary changes are coming to Shepherd's Bush.  Today, the constituency of Hammersmith is a moderately solid Labour seat; our local MP Andy Slaughter managed to buck the national trend at the last election  and increase his majority to a very respectable 6,518 votes.

However, under the new proposed Boundary Changes, everything is up for grabs.  Three wards: Askew, Wormholt & White City, and Shepherd’s Bush Green – are to be broken away from Hammersmith and will make up a new constituency - to be named Ealing Central and Shepherd’s Bush - along with six wards from Ealing.

Market Traders Win in Court of Appeal - Market Development Stalls Again

Shepherd's Bush Market

The Court of Appeal has overturned the decision of minister Eric Pickles to uphold a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on a row of shops on Goldhawk Rd, adjoining Shepherd's Bush Market (see photo below).

Market traders are now celebrating the ruling, which overturns the High Court ruling made in August 2015 by Mr Justice Dove, and effectively blocks the development from going ahead.

Andy Slaughter MP Remembers Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman. Wikimedia

In this piece at the New Statesman, Shepherd's Bush MP Andy Slaughter remembers Alan Rickman, the Acton-born actor who became an internationally famous movie star.

In particular, Slaughter remembers the actor as "As a West London boy, Labour Party loyalist and supporter of the arts in his local community".

Both men were educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, then a grammar school. Alan Rickman was a staunch supporter of our very own Bush Theatre, promoting high quality writing and drama in our neighbourhood. To read the full story, follow this link.

Local MP Andy Slaughter Backs Yvette Cooper

Yvette Cooper.
Wikimedia Commons

Local MP Andy Slaughter and Hammersmith and Fulham Council Leader Stephen Cowan have both backed Yvette Cooper for leadership of the Labour Party. 

It's curious that the front runner candidate Jeremy Corbyn enjoys such strong support among the party membership - but very little among Labour MPs or Council leaders.

There is a big disconnect between the hopes and dreams of the rank and file members and the men and women elected to represent them. 

Shepherd's Bush Charity "Only Connect" Seeks a Crime-Free Life

Shepherd's Bush is not so much a community as a collection of communities. Our diversity makes us an interesting place to live, but how and where do the distinct groups that make up our neighbourhood actually engage with one another?

One place where many people of very different backgrounds come together regularly is at St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge road, where a diverse congregation is welcomed under its broad tent.  Local speakers are encouraged to talk about their work, and this sunday local resident Danny Kruger took the microphone, to introduce his charity Only Connect, which aims to help local kids choose a crime-free life.

St James' Development on Wood Lane Gets Planning Approval

St James's Development on Wood Lane - How it will look

Developers St James have won planning permission for their new development on Wood Lane, including a 28 storey tower block, which we first reported on last October.  Last week the Planning Applications Committee at LBH&F approved the application, despite much local opposition including from our constituency MP, Andy Slaughter.

Shepherd's Bush MP Andy Slaughter Re-Elected, Doubling His Majority

Andy Slaughter. Photo: Wikipedia

Congratulations to local MP Andy Slaughter, who has defied his party's national setbacks in yesterday's general election and been re-elected to the constituency of Hammersmith with a convincing majority.  It is testimony to Andy Slaughter's skills as a politician that he has again increased his share of the vote, this time roughly doubling it to win an impressive 50% share, more than enough to bring him home to victory.

An Exclusive Interview With Shepherd's Bush MP Andy Slaughter

Andy Slaughter MP. Photo: Wikipedia

A General Election is looming in May, and the old certainties of Labour -v- Conservative no longer apply. Coalition politics, the steady rise of UKIP, and an almost-victory for the Scottish Nationalists in the recent referendum means that political power in the UK looks more unpredictable than ever. With that in mind, we are inviting our local political candidates to talk about what the future holds for Shepherd's Bush, and what our politicians can do to improve our neighbourhood for the benefit of all our citizens. First up is local MP Andy Slaughter, our incumbent Member of Parliament.

Will Play Football Regenerate or Ruin Hammersmith Park?

Residents at White City Community Centre

On Thursday 2nd October a meeting was held at the White City Community Centre to help decide the future of Hammersmith Park. Play Football, the sports operator which last year won planning permission to lease around half of the Park and build approximately thirteen new pay-to-play football pitches, was there to hear the views of local residents. It was not a convivial evening.